Of Gods and Goblins: A Tale of Two Tricksters
by 3iggy
Summary: Our heroine gets more than she bargained for when a new paramour is not all that he seems. Her Icelandic research trip turns cold quickly. Poor girl, she wants to write stories, but cannot seem to stop living them.
1. Of Gods

_Bad_.

Not wrong. Not incorrect. Just _bad_. That is the only word she could think of.

_How could I be so stupid_? Sarah thought vehemently.

Across from her sat a ginger haired man smiling demonically. _He's clearly insane_, her heart practically stopped. It was late, there was only one librarian on the first floor, she would never hear Sarah scream, not that it would matter if she did.

"Oh, come now, Sarah." He said cheerfully as if he knew what she was thinking. "Don't be too critical of yourself, how could you've known?"

She inhaled deeply, assuming that humoring him would give her the best chance of ultimate survival. He was a trickster, and she knew the type. _How could I be so stupid? _

"If I had known, I would've left you alone, I swear. I didn't mean…" she gulped as a manic gleam twinkled in his eyes.

"Ah, intentions. How very mortal of you."

Sarah had made a major misstep. _I should've left magic alone…_

The man before her had seemed normal enough, except for the fact that he liked to sport a few unruly braids in his copper colored locks. He was poetic, lithe, and distractingly attractive. All things that should be avoided if you were Sarah Williams on a research leave in Reykjavik. While being delicious would've sufficed in gaining her attention, he had also harbored the unmistakable-at least for someone with experience in that sort of thing-hint of magic...although she hadn't bargained on it being of the divine variety.

He'd looked so harmless reading in the café. Walking over with careless charm, Sarah had pushed a cup of coffee in his direction.

His eyes flickered from the book to the offering, and back up to hers. "Takk."

"Ekkert að þakka." She didn't even stumble over the unfamiliar syllables that time.

"From your accent, I take it that you're an American?" He closed his book, tilting his head at her in a decidedly vulpine fashion. _That should have been the signal to run._

She'd sat down and immediately fell into easy conversation with Mr. Gorgeous. Although, she'd felt that he had watched her too intensely, that his eyes picked up everything, he seemed such a clever boy-and that unnerved her. What Sarah didn't know was what exactly Mr. Gorgeous was noting. His sharp eyes saw the minuscule hints of magic that hung about Ms. I-Am-Presumptuous-Enough-To-Offer-Coffee-To-A-God. It was Goblin magic, something he knew little about. He had never encountered the Glittery Monarch, but rumor held that he did not like for others to play with his toys.

It'd been such a long time since he'd gotten into any serious Mischief. How fortunate that fun came trotting up to him dressed in tight fitting jeans and ruby-red lipstick.

Sarah had asked him out for dinner, he agreed. They'd shared several outings before she began to think that he maybe wasn't all that he seemed. Her brain misfired around him. First of all, she never thought to ask his name, never called him anything, never introduced him to someone else. Of course, other people never appeared to be around if they could help it. There was something wrong with the way he laughed, it was utterly wicked. She blushed remembering other things about him that were wicked as well.

_Oh gods_! She though ironically.

Well, she just couldn't leave it alone, she couldn't make some reasonable excuse and run, which would have been sensible, especially in her case. Her track record with mythical madmen was not pretty.

She'd guessed that he wasn't mortal, the hint of magic confirmed that, but she had taken him for an innocuous type of creature who was happy to have a good time with her. That is, until she noticed how other people shied away from him. How his eyes sometimes appeared hollow and hard, icily cruel.

After several weeks, she had made a list of his obvious characteristics. Ginger, jolly in a manic sort of way, clever, possibly ruthless, and certainly...unpredictable. Illusive was another great moniker. She'd hit the interwebs trying to sort through Germanic mythology, looking at generic groupings of beings initially, and then it became insultingly obvious as she moved into the Norse Pantheon, who he resembled. At that point she tried to distance herself, but he knew what she knew, and he hadn't said that their game was finished. Hence his sudden and unnerving presence on the fourth floor of the nearly deserted library.

Bravery surged up in her time of distress. "What do you want with me...Loki?" She couldn't believe that she had needed to utter that phrase. Never in her life should she have had to say that.

He appeared to relish the use of his name, rolling off of her nearly trembling lips. "I want to speak with your master, pet."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do mean?" She was truly bewildered.

"Don't play with me, girl." His smile remained while his eyes hardened.

Not wanting to offend him, or sink herself further into trouble, Sarah stared, saying nothing.

"The Goblin King, you are trying my admittedly short patience with your stupidity."

Sarah nearly laughed, although her situation was more desperate than funny.

"Why do you think that I could get you an audience with him?" _I will not say his name._

"You reek of his magic, not that I owe you an explanation."

"Oh, dear." Sarah's head sank into her hands. She could barely control a fit of hysteric giggles. If my life depends on the goodwill of the Goblin King, I am most assuredly doomed.

"That's just not fair." She mourned.

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><p><strong>This is an odd little story that popped into my head this afternoon. Let me know whether or not you would like to bored further. ;) And, as always, thanks for reading.<strong>


	2. Goblins Goblins

Excuse the following short chapter. I should have just tagged it on to the last, or the next, but the Goblin King insisted that he deserved his own dramatic entrance, and he wanted it right now. Royalty.

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><p><em>One Goblin.<em>

_Two Goblin._

_Three Goblin _

_Four._

_I think I'll go mad if I count anymore._

_Big Goblin._

_Tall Goblin._

_Fat Goblin._

_Small._

_If only I could bog them all._ Thought the King of Goblins poetically.

"Ugh," he groaned, sitting sideways in his throne. He allowed his head to sink over the armrest and tried to view the world from a new angle. Goblins looked no better when they appeared to be hanging from the ceiling. His pale hair tumbled down into his eyes as he rolled over to face the back of his seat.

"Bored. Bored. BORED." He barked, petulantly. No one noticed over all the usual noise.

Then he felt it, like a very small and delicate pull on his mind. Sitting up abruptly he smacked an ornamental riding crop against the side of the throne. "Quiet!" He yelled unnecessarily because the goblins had felt it too. They were frozen in their tracks, listening as attentively as he was.

Only his dark rimmed eyes moved, even his chest seemed eerily still. "Something is not quite right."

"Nope." Affirmed _Tall Goblin_ from his left.

Jareth's head swiveled to look at the speaker. "Wouldn't you say that felt oddly like _her_?" _Her_ name had been forbidden from the kingdom's lexicon.

"Indubitably." Tall Goblin pushed his half-moon glasses up his hawk-like nose.

"Whatever could be the meaning of it?" The King pondered.

"She must have been thinking of you, your grace."

"Yes, but why? I am certain there was a bit of hysteria imbedded in that thought."

A shrug was his reply.

With a frivolous wrist flick, a crystal appeared on the tips of his gloved fingers. He hadn't been able to spy upon the girl since she'd declared her victory over him, but that little act of surrender, that slight beckoning, may have altered things. He wasn't disappointed.

"Ah." He leaned back, slightly less bored.

In the crystal he could clearly see the lovely Ms. Williams looking delightfully distressed. A devious smirk curled his lips, until he caught sight of the source of her discomfiture.

"Oh dear." He stated with mock pity.

"What is it, sire?" Tall Goblin leaned in.

"It seems that our champion has found herself in a spot of trouble."

"Good trouble?"

"Oh, it's good trouble for me." He enjoyed the idea of _her_ thinking of him when she was in distress, however, he understood that the situation could be a bit complicated.

Loki had ever been a problem. Jareth had never met him, but that was because Loki refused to show up for the centennial meetings hosted by Puck. Pan took personal offence to the Norse God's absences as did Eris and Anansi. Loki had daddy problems and identity issues of giant sized proportions. He just didn't play well with others.

_God or not, trickster solidarity or not, I don't like other people touching my things. _The Goblin King's amusement was blossoming into a cold fury. To be honest, he didn't always play with others himself.

Jareth tossed the crystal into the air with a villainous chuckle that rang out across the throne room sending the goblins into a riotous bout of deviant laughter. Their maniacal cackles covered up the small noise that indicated his exit from the realm.


	3. Somewhere Over the Bifrost

**I intend to play with a lot of norse mythology and do some lore integrating in the following chapters. Don't hate, I am not working off of Marvel's material, but the actual mythology. (Though I am not going to lie, I love me some Marvel). **

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><p>Sarah debated her options. There were not many and they were all bad. The truth was the best thing that she could come up with.<p>

"I am not the Goblin King's pet. In fact, if I were to describe our relationship I would say that he is the Moriarty to my Sherlock, the Hades to my Hercules, basically, we're archenemies." She flinched as the god continued to stare. She was certain that his sleazy mind was working out ways that the information could be used to his advantage.

"His majesty, would not look kindly upon you for mentioning my name, let alone producing my person. In fact, he probably bogs people who even think my name in his presence." She inserted. _Please, please, please, don't think about handing me over to him._ Sarah's knuckles were white as she clutched the sides of the table.

Loki did not have time to answer.

"Really Sarah, archenemies? That sounds so cold." The Goblin King's voice drifted to them from the window on the far side of the room. Jareth's gaze was fixed upon the glove that he was adjusting.

Sarah took a deep breath. _He_ was there. There _he_ was. She had forgotten how beautiful... _a terrible beauty...I can't do this._

When Jareth looked up his eyes were quick and humor danced within their depths as he advanced to the seat next to her. Before she could recover her mental composure he was leaning back in the chair, glittering eyes stared at her over steepled fingertips.

Without a word Jareth's gaze darted swiftly from Sarah's and settled on Loki's.

"God of Mischief. " Jareth inclined his head. "This meeting is long overdue."

"Well met, Lord of the Labyrinth, King of the Goblins, Ruler of the Svartalfheim." Loki's smile widened as he took in Jareth's person. For a Dark Elf he was surprisingly fair, though his sharp-toothed grin was befitting of the name. There was a delightful edge to his smile that indicated a wicked sense of humor and Loki appreciated the keen intellect visible within the monarch's mismatched eyes. _I so seldom encounter creatures as clever as myself_, he though gleefully.

"Do fill me in on this odd little gathering." Jareth smiled.

"It seems that I've happened across something of yours." Loki grinned at Sarah slyly.

"Yes, apparently my arch-nemesis." An eyebrow arched skyward. "A hundred and ten pound brunette with a notoriously overactive imagination welding a rather sharp tongue."

Sarah simmered. She wasn't sure if the situation was simply ridiculous or dangerous. It was hard to settle on one emotion while being surrounded by blood-curdling smiles and flippant banter, floating on the surface of wary intellect and unthinkable magic power.

_I just need to get out of this room..then out of the city...then off of this island._

Rather than rising to Jareth's sarcasm or trying to reason with Loki she pushed back her chair, picked up her bag and books, then began to back her way to the door. People always said that you should keep eye contact and back away slowly from wild animals...hopefully that advice applied to immortal troublemakers.

"What _is_ she doing?" Jareth asked Loki without turning his eyes from Sarah' s slowly retreating form.

"I'm not certain, she's rather odd, even for a mortal."

"Old chap, I believe that she's trying to excuse herself from our little discussion."

Sarah sighed. " I _can_ hear you."

"Really?" Jareth leaned further back in the chair propping his feet up on the table. "And, just where do you think you're going?"

"I don't know what is happening here, but I don't want any part of it." Sarah said, turning her back on the both of them, and marching toward the staircase.

"Mr. Creepy Smiles there wanted to see you, now he has, I'm outta here." She called without looking back.

The silence should've warned her.

As soon as she stepped into the darkened stairwell a soft chuckle hit her, followed swiftly by a gloved hand smacking the wall beside her head.

"Poor, Sarah. It seems you're confused." The Goblin King whispered into her ear.

"Leave me alone, you've no..."

"Hmm. I wouldn't finish that statement if I were you. I won't deny that it's true, but the mad-hatter sitting in there does."

"What do mean?"

"Well, you've no magic words to lord over his divine head, and he still needs me. You, my dear Sarah, are his one and only bargaining chip."

_I'm preying on you tonight, Hunt you down, Eat you alive, like animals…_" rang Sarah's phone.

Deftly she plucked it from her jacket pocket. "I'm a little busy right now."

"Where are you? I've been waiting downstairs for forever." Whined the voice of Sarah's flatmate.

"Go home, please. I'll be there as soon as I can." _If I can_.

"Are you alright?"

"Just busy." Jareth was still too close, she was pretty certain that he was leering.

Sarah could clearly distinguish the sound of heels clicking on marble steps. "Damn it."

"Victoria, what stairwell are you in?" She tried to keep the growing panic out of her voice.

"The West End. I don't know what is going on with you, but you promised to pay for dinner tonight, and you're not getting out of it."

Sarah's eyes rounded. _Oh no no. She's headed right toward_…

Sarah pushed past Jareth and back into the main reading room. She could deal with the demonic duo, but she'd no desire to see her friend dragged into the madness that was her life.

Before Sarah could gain the opposing staircase, the blond popped out of its opening.

"Ah, Ms. Sign." Loki's voice chimed, causing the woman to stop in her tracks. "So nice of you to join us."

"Don't you dare speak to her." Sarah growled.

Jareth appeared at her side and all the doors leading in and out of the reading room slammed shut.

"I feel that this floor is becoming overly crowded."


	4. A Dance with the Devil

_The dwarves are master smiths and craftspeople who live beneath the ground. Accordingly, Svartalfheim was probably thought of as a __**labyrinthine**__, subterranean complex of mines and forges.-Norse Mythology For Smart People_

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><p>Sarah's hand reached behind her and found her friend's. The two women stood in silent solidarity. <em>At least she is not an idiot<em>. Sarah thought guiltily. She was actually relieved to have a backup.

Victoria and Sarah were very different. Sarah was impulsive and she made quick decisions based on sensory information and prior experience, but Victoria was incredibly perceptive, she was guided primarily by instinct or intuition. She felt the growing tension in the air and was quiet.

Ignoring both of the women, Jareth strode across the room. "My patience is waning. What is it that you want?"

Loki eyed the women and sighed. "I've been exiled."

"Should that surprise me?"

"No, but the Aesir are very upset this time. They will not allow me to return to Asgard until I procure...a certain item."

"I suppose this item is located in the Underground?" Jareth cocked his head.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Loki unfolded his long frame from the chair and meandered over to a window, leaning against the frame with crossed arms.

"I am afraid that you'll have to be a little more specific." His eyes locked on to Sarah. "As _tempting_ as some bargains are, I move the stars for no one."

Sarah's blood boiled. Victoria clutched her hand tightly.

Loki let his head fall back against the cold glass and he closed his eyes. "A story it is then."

"I suppose it all started with hunger. Odin and I were traveling through Jötunheim…"

"The realm of the Giants?" Victoria inquired, curiosity gave her courage to speak.

One green eye opened to look at her with something akin to approval. "Yes."

"I was starving, so I killed a cow and tried to cook it, to Odin's great amusement, no matter what I did, it was always raw. The All-father, being a pillar of strength and self-control, went on his way and I continued to berate and curse the offending beef. Eventually, a large eagle happened upon me and agreed to cook the meat if he could have a share." Loki yawned.

"Well, the eagle was actually the Giant Thiassi, who's brother I had gloriously cheated previously, although that is a story for another time." He grinned. "The great prat left me stranded on an iceberg until I agreed to trick the goddess Iduna."

"She minds the golden apples that keep the Aesir young." Victoria interrupted.

"Correct, she is very stupid. I easily tricked her into leaving the walled orchard and handed her, and the apples, over to the Giants. My success was short-lived. Odin's bloody birds ousted me to the All-Father, and then his meat-headed watchdog came thundering along: _I would hurl thee into a chasm in the ground and strike thee with my thunder_." Loki shook his fist while making an oafish face.

"I am surrounded by morons." He looked at Victoria in mock appeal.

Despite herself, she giggled, garnering a pointed glare from Sarah.

Encouraged by his appreciative audience Loki continued. "Well, long story short, as they say, I tricked the giants and brought Iduna back, but the Aesir were still very angry with me. Apparently the threat of growing old and feeble didn't sit well with them. I endured their disapproving looks and scowls, but they made me bitter. So one day I happened along Sif sleeping in the woods."

"Thor's wife." Victoria whispered to Sarah.

"I will never understand why women do such foolish things. The sight of Thor's beautiful bride was too tempting...I couldn't help myself. I crept up to the sleeping beauty...and cut all of her hair off." The God of Mischief burst into laughter. "Oh, she was absolutely hideous."

Jareth's look was smug, but approving. "I am sure that didn't go over well."

"Oh, no. Thor was going to slay me in earnest. Odin had to interfere. Actually, it wasn't a well thought-out plan because I couldn't really cast any doubt about who had done it. Sif slept through the entire thing, and did not see me, but none of the other gods would do something so _shameful_. Everyone knew it was me."

"So now you must make amends." Jareth rested his gloved fingers on his lips.

"I need a golden wig. It has to be as good, or better than Sif's own hair, your dwarves are the only craftsmen in the nine realms who can create such a thing. A very long time ago, before your ascension, I used to visit with them. They are such nasty, crafty, creatures. But, I thought it unwise to do so after you claimed the throne of Svartalfheim."

"They've grown more suspicious since then I'm sure." Jareth snarled. "There's no love between myself and the Dökkálfar, in fact, only one dwells within the walls of my labyrinth, and they've most likely forgotten you."

"Hoggle." Sarah's eyes widened.

"Precisely, and Sarah can tell you exactly how he feels about me."

"He knows that you are nothing but a rat." Sarah scowled.

"It's impossible to live up to everyone's expectations." Jareth gave an exaggerated sigh. Then his eyes lit-up dangerously.

"You know who they do love?" He arched a brow at his fellow trickster.

Loki's eyes traveled over to Sarah.

"Yes."

"But, why?" Asked the god.

"Because I beat _him_." She smiled ruefully.

"So that woman there really is your archenemy?" Loki found the fact greatly amusing.

"If you choose to look at it that way." Growled the Goblin King.

"Oh, it gets better." Sarah was throwing caution to the wind. "I beat his Labyrinth in ten hours while I was no more than a girl. I turned his subjects against him, and laid siege to his castle. I overcame every offer, every deception, that he put in my path. I turned his world upside down."

Jareth's face was inches from hers in a heartbeat. Victoria yelped and stepped back, accidently dropping Sarah's hand.

"I was generous." He warned her.

"Of course you were." Her eyes narrowed.

Loki took in the scene from where he stood. Being clever, he could clearly see that simple rivalry was not the only thing at work between the Goblin King and the raven-haired woman. _She most certainly is not a pet, and not entirely an enemy._ It was amusing to him that the heart of the Dark Elf had been captured by a fragile mortal. _He must be a masochist_.

Victoria, meanwhile, had gathered together an idea of what was taking place within the closed reading room, although she hardly believed it. She backed cautiously away from Jareth and Sarah who were locked in a glaring competition. Loki noticed her movements.

"Little mouse, there is no need to run. There is nowhere for you to go." His voice jolted the embattled couple.

"It is time to strike our bargains." Jareth stepped away from Sarah. She let out a shaky breath.

"Oh goody." Loki stepped to the table and sat upon it.

"I will only make a deal with Sarah. She shall have to deal with you." Jareth's sharp-toothed grin reemerged.

"Done." Loki clapped his hands together.

"Wait, I didn't agree to anything!" Sarah let her mask of fury fall.

"No matter, you will. If you don't strike a deal with his highness…"

"Jareth, just Jareth...only goblins call me that." He rolled his eyes in disdain.

"Fine, Jareth. Or I'll do unspeakable and heinous things to your lovely friend." Loki winked at Victoria who blanched appropriately.

Sarah closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Jareth watched as she licked her lips, preparing to speak. "What do you want, Jareth." His name sounded like a curse.

Jareth realized that he didn't quite know what he wanted. The woman infuriated him. One moment he wanted to strangle her...but then it would be so much fun to do other things. Sarah could almost see the sinister thoughts crossing his mind.

"I want you to unsay the words." He cocked his head.

"What's said is said." She countered, knowing exactly what words he meant.

"That's true when it comes to bargains like the one you made with me before." His smile widen as shame crept across her face.

"I hardly call that a legitimate deal."

"I rendered you a service, which _you_ requested of _me_. The child was my fee. It was a deal, dear girl."

"You steal children." Victoria looked disgusted.

"He's practically the bogeyman." Loki added gleefully.

"I take what's mine." Jareth looked at Sarah meaningfully.

"Done." She stated flatly.

"Brilliant." The Goblin King tugged a glove off of his pale hand and extended it to Sarah. She eyed the long, delicate fingers distrustfully. Numbly extending her own out to him, she tried not to cringe, expecting the hand to be cold. The reaction his touch drew from her was disturbing. Her stomach flipped upside down, her heartbeat quickened along with her pulse. Worse still, she gasped as he flipped her hand over and brought his lips to her wrist.

Face flushed, she pulled away from him, nursing her wrist as though he'd torn it open.

"You don't need to unsay them just yet, my dear. We can wait for a more intimate moment if you don't mind. I would like to fully enjoy the event."

"Ah, my turn." Loki hopped down from the desk.

"Sarah, you will agree to help me convince the dwarfs to make a golden wig?" He stuck out his hand.

"How am I supposed to do that?" She spat at him. _This is not my day_.

"Jareth will take us to Svartalfheim, or the Underground if you prefer that name, and you will talk to the dwarves who apparently love you." His hand remained extended.

Before Sarah could make a move, Victoria stepped forward and offered her hand to Loki.

"Little mouse, I don't believe that you have much sway with the dwarves, but I admire your bravery, stupid as it is."

"I know. But, I will make the promise for Sarah and I both, if we fail, you can have me as forfeit. She's already made a deal with one devil, and I am not wholly without skill. I work for the university. I've done nothing but study lore and ancient culture for years. I know much about the dwarves, and the nine realms, and many stories that our people have kept about you." She applied to his ego quickly.

"Victoria, you can't do that, you don't understand…"

"What I'm doing? You know that I do, Sarah. I'm not naïve." She grabbed Loki's large hand in her tiny one, her eyes daring him to reject her.

A devious grin curled his lips. "Done, little mouse."

The room began to shift around them. Loki, Sarah, and Victoria stumbled, closing their eyes against the onset of vertigo. In a flash the room was empty. That is, until a gray-haired librarian managed to push the doors open. She looked about the vacant space, sure that she had heard voices only moments before.

"Oh well." She retreated back down the stairs to lock-up and head to the pub. It was quiz night after all.


	5. Tick Tock

Beware, a (possibly) M rated scene lies ahead.

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><p>Sarah was careful not to open her eyes immediately. Her other senses rallied to determine their whereabouts instead. The scent of cloves and pine clung to the air around her. Careful fingers drifted out over fluffy covers. Her ears didn't pick up any odd sounds, although they rang a little.<p>

With a sigh she allowed her eyes to flutter open. She was lying on her back in a strange bed, looking up into the ceiling of a circular room. The ceiling was adorned with a thirteen hour clock that currently displayed a starry night sky while the only hand was hovering between eleven and twelve. Sarah watched for several moments as the stars rotated by infinitesimal degrees while the one hand moved slightly more toward twelve.

Carefully, she set up and wobbled ungracefully out of the nest of blankets. The only light in the room was the somber glow of the starlight from the enchanted clock. It was unbelievably dark otherwise. Her useless eyes searched the room, slowing adjusting to the dimness.

"You're not supposed to be here." A familiar, but slightly feeble, voice stated from the shadows.

Squinting in the direction of the voice she walked forward warily.

"You were standing too close to me."

"I'm sure it was all my fault." She huffed, just barely making out the shape of the Goblin King as he leaned against the stone wall facing her. His hands were hidden in his pockets, and one booted foot was propped against the wall.

Sarah drew near to him, her eyes finally beginning to distinguish his features. "You can see me perfectly can't you?"

"Yes."

"Must be nice."

"Quite." Though his tone was sarcastic, it had lost some of its customary fierceness as had his face, or what she could see of it anyway.

"Where are the others?"

"Your friend is safe." His voice still seemed strained.

"Not with Loki I hope..."

"I put him in a padded cell in the dungeon."

"Really?"

"No, but I thought about it. He's in a room far from your little friend. Never fear." He sighed

"You're tired aren't you." She couldn't believe it.

"It isn't exactly easy to drag four beings across time and space. Even I have limits." The admission made her bolder.

"Why do you have a giant clock for a ceiling? If you live forever, do you really ever need to know what time it is?"

"How do you know that it tells time. It could be counting anything." He voice sounded like an eye-roll.

"Fair enough." She edged closer to him trying to fully make out his face. When one of his hands seized her waist, she surprised herself by not shying away. He tested her resistance, pulling her closer and closer until her hands flew to his chest, halting all further progress.

Neither of them said a word for several moments. "I think I like you better when you're tired. You're not so dreadful. There is almost something endearing about you actually, like a wounded animal."

"I won't be like this for long. It would serve you well to remember that I'm a monster. When I feel like myself again, I won't care." His hand had moved beneath the hem of her shirt to the small of her back.

"What won't you care about?" She whispered as alarm bells sounded in her head.

A soft chuckle washed over her as his hand dragged her flush up against him. The shock of his forceful move caused her to push harder into his chest. When she threw her head back to search his face, his lips found the hollow of her throat. Before she could struggle, he moved up, claiming her jawline and the spot behind her ear. When his sharp teeth sank into the join of her neck and shoulder she gasped, hardly believing the situation that she had put herself in.

She closed her eyes, trying to figure out how she felt about their current undertaking. She squeezed them tighter together as he reversed their positions, bringing her up against the cold stone wall. His hand snaking up her ribcage broke her concentration entirely. She refused to focus on anything.

Her body was in full rebellion, arching into him against her better judgment. Her arms had wound around his neck treacherously and she was mortified to hear her own panting breaths.

Then she heard the sound of his voice very near to her ear. His feathery hair teased her neck. "Say your right words, Sarah."

The pull of her unfulfilled promise coaxed her, but she didn't yield. She wouldn't tell him anything in their current position. Her jaw clenched as she clamped her teeth together.

"Tell me, Sarah." His hands wound around her ribs pressing into her back. "Say you're mine."

At the last word her eyes flew open, green fire danced a warning within their depths. "That isn't part of our deal." She quickly pushed away from him and fumbled along the wall. She could see well enough to discern the outline of the door.

"Have it your way, but don't think that you can renege on our bargain. You'll tell me what I want to hear the next time that I ask it of you." He moved effortlessly through the room as a small knock sounded at the door. "That's for you."

Sarah grabbed the handle and jerked the door open, she cast one last look over her shoulder at the Goblin King and slammed it behind her. "He's such a...a...rat!"

"Who is?" Asked a tall goblin standing to the side of the door.

"No one. Is there somewhere you should be taking me?"

"Yes. Follow please." The beak-nosed Goblin looked at her critically over his half-moon glasses.

The stoic fellow lead her to a room several floors below his majesty's. He gave a small bow and disappeared back down the hall. Sarah took a moment to regain her composure and readjust her sweater. It had slipped off her shoulder...mockingly. Her fingers brushed over the evidence of Jareth's attention. _How could I be so stupid_. Sarah thought for the third time in less than twenty-four hours.

With a heavy sigh, she pushed open the door. _He will not catch me off guard a second time_.

"Sarah!" Victoria flashed her a smile from where she was sitting in a armchair by the fire. The room was small, but cheerful. It contained two heavily blanketed beds as well as the two chairs by the fire, one of which Sarah quickly sank into. Her friend immediately supplied her with a stemming cup of tea.

"I was worried when you weren't here with me. Isn't this room delightful? A small ugly creature brought me the tea and told me that under no circumstances was I to step foot outside of this room. He was absolutely charmless."

"I believe that I encountered him. "

"Where were you?"

Taking a deep breath, Sarah replied stiltedly. "The king's bedroom."

Victoria's sea-green eyes widened. "Did anything...happen?"

"No! I mean, yes and no. Well, it was probably my fault." Sarah stuttered.

"Sarah, you should never blame the victim." Victoria's face was so serious that Sarah had to laugh.

"I'm not a victim! I just miscalculated his mood. Speaking of miscalculations...are you ok? You did just stumble into a fantasy novel." Sarah eyed her friend critically.

"Actually, please don't hate me, but this is the most amazing thing to every happen to me. I've studied old stories for so long, I never imagined I'd get to live one...or that they were real. I do believe you owe me a story though. One about a Goblin King and the young girl who beat him."

Sarah slide lower into the chair, kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes near the crackling flames. "Once upon a time…"

Victoria listened attentively, enraptured with the tale. She waited to comment until Sarah was completely finished. "I can't believe you beat him. It seems remarkable. He's so frightening."

"I've got to admit that I don't remember him being quite so...scary. Maybe I didn't have the sense to take him seriously. Perhaps we're braver as children. I saw it as an adventure then, I was a fairytale heroine, a princess. Now the idea terrifies me."

"It would've been nice if they had allowed us a quick trip home. These heels are going to be terrible for questing." Victoria sighed.

"That's the way it is with these immortal types. One moment you're minding your own business wearing your loafers, or heels, the next you're falling into oubliettes and being bogged. No consideration for prep time with these people."

"I suppose we should get some sleep." Victoria stood up and stretched, but the fire caught her attention and she stared dreamily at it for a long while. "We made a mistake you know?"

"What?" Sarah looked up at her.

"We didn't get one of them to swear to send us home. We'll have to figure that one out before the quest comes to an end. Otherwise, we may not get out."

"Ugh," Sarah grunted. "That won't be easy."

"We'll figure something out." Victoria ruffled Sarah's hair and climbed into bed.

"Yep. It'll be a piece of cake."

* * *

><p><em>Ok, I promise the next chapters will hold a little more adventure and a little less chatter. Yay transition chappies! Uh, huh. <em>

_And, I checked a few times for typos, but if you see them, let me know :)_


	6. Nothing is What it Seems

"I believe Loki is the weaker link." Sarah mused as she tugged a leather boot on over the riding trousers she'd discovered at the end of the bed that morning.

Someone, most likely Tall Goblin, had placed a tray of breakfast on the nightstand between the two women. To Victoria's relief, their visitor had also left a few questing garments.

Victoria scrutinized the breakfast tray as she sipped tea. "I don't believe that they are working as a single unit. Their goals are not entirely the same."

"You know what I mean." Sarah huffed as she fought with the boot which was a little tall for her taste.

"I think you underestimate him."

"No, I just feel that, out of the two of them, he seems more likely to underestimate us. Jareth knows what I'm capable of, he won't be surprised a second time." Sarah turned to start on the next boot.

"I agree with that assessment. Loki is no less clever than Jareth, but there is something very immature about his cunning. Jareth's trickiness seems more...responsible."

Sarah stared at the woman incredulously. "What?"

"You cannot deny that he's more controlled. Loki is messy. He's all over the place. Jareth runs a kingdom...a realm even, apparently."

"Never mind all that, we agree that Loki is the one to keep an eye on? He's the one we will try to trick into promising us a way home." Sarah, finished pulling on her boots, and eyed the tray of food suspiciously. "We need to go over a few rules."

"Ok?"

"First, don't accept any peaches from goblin men or their employed dwarves." Sarah stood and squished her friend's face between the palms of her hands. She hadn't told Victoria about her peach induced dream, so the woman needed a fair warning.

_"We must not look at goblin men,_

_We must not buy their fruits:_

_Who knows upon what soil they fed_

_Their hungry thirsty roots?"*_

Victoria mumbled between Sarah's hands.

"Exactly. Second, no wishing. Don't think the word wish, and never ever say it out-loud. The consequences can be severe."

Victoria nodded.

"Lastly, you must always remember not to take anything here for granted. Nothing is what it seems. Do you understand?" Sarah's face was unusually serious.

"Yes." Victoria nodded once more.

"Good." Sarah stepped back and picked up a pair of riding gloves from the bed. "Let's get out of this room and find our lovely host."

Victoria gulped down the remainder of her tea as she followed in Sarah's wake. Tall Goblin was standing by the door when they emerged from the room.

"I'm to take you to his majesty." He said.

"Lead on." Sarah replied.

Victoria tried to memorize the turns and twists of the hallways and staircases as they made their way through the castle, but they made no logical sense. "It's as if the castle itself is part of the Labyrinth." She whispered to Sarah.

"I suppose that it is." Sarah looked around her. "I told you about the Escher Room."

"I wis...would like to see that." Victoria stuttered.

"It's not that impressive." Sarah replied gruffly.

After what felt like an eternity, the trio stepped out into the well lit throne room. Their eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the brightness. The scene that met them was remarkably industrious.

Jareth was leaning over a table, scribbling furiously while a dwarf stood off to the side looking uncomfortable. On top of the table, a foxlike creature watched the king's movements studiously while a true fox dangled over the table-edge looking bored with the whole process.

"Didymus? Hoggle?" Sarah was confused to find them with Jareth.

"My ladies," Sir Didymus' eyes remained on Jareth's endeavor.

"Sarah!" Hoggle hurried over to her.

"It's a real dwarf!" Victoria exclaimed in delight. The fox dangling from the table rolled his eyes. "Oh, Sarah. He's wonderful."

Hoggle was shocked by the strange woman's attention.

"Who's she?" He said gruffly.

"This is my friend, Victoria. She is very fond of dwarves." Sarah giggled, kneeling down to his level.

Hoggle puffed out his chest, happy to be admired.

"Are you coming with us?" Sarah asked excitedly.

"Uh...no…" his chest quickly de-puffed and his eyes settled on his shoes.

"He can't come with us." Jareth's cold voice informed her.

"Why not?"

"Don't look at me like that, I didn't forbid him from coming. He's a refugee, an exile. He'd be put to death if he were to visit the Dökkálfar with us. His presence wouldn't aid our cause either."

Jareth rolled up the parchment he'd been writing on, and then rotated his wrist without ceremony, handing a glass orb as well as the scroll over to Sir Didymus who quickly stowed them inside his vest. "Call should you need me."

"Aye, sire." Sir Didymus, having accomplished his task, leapt from the table and joined the dwarf by the women.

"Sir Didymus, at your service, my lady." He bowed to Victoria before gracing Sarah with a smile that crept all the way up to his one eye.

"Why were you exiled little dwarf?" Victoria returned her attention to Hoggle.

"Well...I...it's a long story." He shuffled his toes.

"He fell in the love with the wrong dwarf princess." Jareth smirked.

"Tis true," added Sir Didymus. "The fair dwarfette captured the heart of my dear friend...when he was young and handsome...in a dwarfish sense."

Hoggle glared at the knight.

"He was so dwarfishly handsome that the princess couldn't help but return his affections. When they were found out, the Dwarf King offered Hoggle either execution or banishment as his punishment. He chose exile. His majesty took pity on him and gave him sanctuary."

Hoggle huffed. He didn't like to be reminded of his debt to Jareth.

"Little good it did me. I simply acquired a faithless traitor." Jareth sneered.

Sarah was stunned by the revelation. It didn't make sense. Why had Hoggle been afraid of Jareth...why had he called his savior a rat?

"I don't understand." She said aloud.

"Do you ever?" Jareth asked earning himself a glare. "It doesn't matter. Time is short, we shouldn't waste it here in idle gossip. It will take days to reach the mountain of the dwarves."

"You can't just…" Sarah waved her hands about in a way that was supposed to indicate magic…"us there?"

Jareth frowned, "No...I cannot. The dwarves don't trust me. They don't like my magic. It would be undiplomatic to pop into their mountain uninvited with a Norse God and two lanky girls in tow."

"He's right." Agreed Hoggle.

"And, this is a dangerous realm, Sarah. I can't risk being...unprepared." His look was pointed, reminding her of his state the night before. Of course, that reminded her of other things, causing her complexion to resemble that of a carrot.

"Speaking of the Norse God, where is he?" Victoria's head swiveled around the room, scanning nooks and corners.

Jareth turned to the fox who still dangled off the side of the table. A gloved hand roughly pushed the creature over the edge, when he hit the ground, his shape shifted into that of an unhappy Loki.

"That was uncalled for."

Jareth ignored him. "We really should be going." Without paying attention to any of them, he retreated from the room.

"He's so touchy." Loki sniggered.

"His majesty properly understands the danger inherent in this quest." The knight looked at Loki with great disdain.

"Very noble, small knight." Loki stood, dusting himself off.

"I wish you all the best of luck." Sir Didymus bowed to the ladies.

"Yes, be careful Sarah...miss." The dwarf nodded to both the girls. "We'll be here waiting."

Sarah hugged them both, "We'll be careful."

"It was lovely to meet the two of you," Victoria shook the dwarf's hand and allowed the foxy-knight to kiss hers.

"Umm...where did his highness go?" Asked Sarah.

"The stables," replied the knight.

"I will take you there," Tall Goblin moved from his spot by the throne. "Follow me."

The women quickly did as they were told. Loki shuffled along behind them. "Do you have a name?" Sarah asked the Tall Goblin.

"I did once, but I've forgotten it." He mumbled.

"Do you mind if I call you Jeeves?"

The Tall Goblin stopped and looked at Sarah, frowning. After a moment his frown eased into an amused smile…"Jeeves. I don't mind that." He allowed his face to resume its blank expression before leading on.

The stables came into view after they rounded a corner of the castle. They were tucked away in a secure place, on the opposite side of the Goblin City.

Jeeves turned to his charges, "You'll find him in there. Good luck."

"Same to you Old Fish," Sarah laughed as she ran toward the stable.

Victoria eyed the stables warily, not sharing her friend's enthusiasm.

"Are you afraid of horses, little mouse?" The god smirked at her.

"I suppose that I am. I've never really been near them. I've seen ponies. I like ponies…" She tried to corral her courage.

"You can always ride me?" Loki whispered into her ear as they drew near to the stables.

Shocked, the indignant woman rounded on him. But, he was no longer there. Instead, a small chestnut horse stood in his place, his eyes were laughing at her.

"Oh." Victoria stepped back.

"For the sake of Hades," Jareth's voice drawled from the doorway of the stable. "If you trust that mount, I'll bear no responsibility for your fate."

"Well, truly, he wouldn't benefit from harming me. Quite the contrary, his deal is bonded with me. No me, no deal. It is therefore, in his best interest to keep me safe. I cannot say that of your horses." Victoria reasoned.

Jareth rolled his eyes, returning to the stable.

Victoria whispered to the horse, "It is not very befitting for a king to roll his eyes like a school girl."

_Ah, right you are, little mouse_. Loki's voice echoed around in her head.

She stroked his neck, noticing his mane. Her fingers quickly tangled themselves into the silky hair as she braided several long strands. "That looks a bit more like you."

"Here." Jareth had returned to her side carrying a small saddle. "I doubt he would appreciate a bridle. You'll have to hold on to his mane."

The Goblin King deftly saddled the god and waved her over. "Put your foot here." He guided her up into the saddle and began checking the straps and making adjustments. "That should do."

"I like this one." Sarah led a tall dappled grey from the stable, already saddled. She loved to ride. "What is his name?"

"Ask him yourself." Jareth's eyebrows arched skyward as he went to retrieve his own horse-a dancing buckskin.

Sarah leveled her gaze with that of her steed, thinking hard about what she wanted to know. She got the distinct feeling that he wanted to be called _Susan_. "Alright, whatever makes you happy." She laughed, hopping into the saddle.

"Where's Loki?" Sarah's eyes wandered around the stable-yard.

"He's here." Victoria pointed down.

"Are you serious?" Sarah's eyebrows raced to meet her hairline.

"It's not unprecedented for him for to be a horse." Victoria ventured, nudging the god closer to Sarah and her horse.

"And, that shouldn't worry you?"

"I'll take my chances." Victoria smiled.

"Alright." Sarah still looked wary.

"We've no time to lose ladies, let's be off." Jareth called to them as he set his horse to the west.

For a long while they rode in silence, watching the Labyrinth's scenery melt away into a wild , desolate plain.

_This is so boring._ Thought Horse-Loki. _Tell me a story, little mouse. You said you knew stories._

"Have you heard the one about the _Fellowship of the Ring_? It is a very old story that has been passed down from one generation of nerds to the next for decades."

_I have not heard this story._

"Ah, well our story takes place in a time when Midgard was much younger, when it was Middle Earth. It was a time of great danger. You see there were once many rings

_Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,_

_Seven__ for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,_

_Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,_

_One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne_

_In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie._

_One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,_

_One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them_

_In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie...*_

* * *

><p><em>*Rosetti's Goblin Market<em>

_*The Lord of the Rings (Duh) Victoria is a huge Tolkien fan. _

_*Did anyone catch the Dr. Who reference? _

_-Give a shout if you see a typo. [I found a lot...after I read it about 10xs...terrible self editor]_


	7. Fast As You

Sarah leaned her head against the rough bark of the only tree they'd passed since leaving the walls of the Labyrinth. Her eyes lazily followed the gently waving grass in the distance. Near to her she spied Loki, still in equine form, on his side, dozing. Victoria rested her head on his ginger belly. They looked far too cozy for Sarah's comfort. And, she hated that no one else had the niggling feeling that everything around them was wrong.

"None of this is real." She sighed aloud.

"You defy me even when it's in your best interest not to, don't you?" Jareth chuckled lowly beside her.

"There's a great red desert surrounding the Labyrinth. I've seen it. This is all an illusion." Her eyes rolled to lock onto his.

Jareth let the glamour fade, allowing her to see what she knew was really there. All around stretched a seemingly endless desert. A red sun burned into her, the dry air shocked the breath from her lungs and a feeling of helplessness seized her mind.

"Would you like to continue our journey in this manner, my dear?"

"No. You can fix it." Panic was creeping into her voice.

"Close your eyes." He said.

Quickly, Sarah shut them tight. After a few minutes, without prompting, she opened them again, thankful that the green grass had returned. "Why did it make me feel that way? I've seen it before."

"Yes, you've stood on the very edge of it with your eyes trained upon the Labyrinth. The desert is a defense. If you don't know exactly where you are going, it won't show you. It appears to go on forever. It is meant to disconcert those who enter it, to make them give up."

"What does it defend?"

"The same thing as the Labyrinth."

"The Labyrinth is a defense? Do you mean it defends the children you steal?" She squinted.

"You ask so many questions." His voice was bored. "The Labyrinth has a three-fold purpose. It serves as a trial for those who wish away children only occasionally."

"What else does it do?"

"Many things."

"I mean," she hated having to speak so literally, "what is its other purpose?"

"It stores energy."

"So that's what recharges your batteries?" She asked thoughtfully.

"The simple answer is yes." He rolled his eyes.

"Since it is also a defense, not meant for the children you steal, does it defend you then?"

"I don't need defending."

"So you are part of the defense?"

"Enough questions." Jareth stood with easy grace and watched as she fumbled to follow him. "We need to wake his holiness and the girl. It's imperative that we clear the plain before night fall."

"Why?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. "The desert is not a place you want to be after dark. No more questions."

Sarah's eyes followed him angrily. She disliked being dismissed so quickly.

In the saddle once more, Sarah stayed close to Victoria and allowed Jareth to take the lead. He was obviously the only one who really knew where they were going anyway.

"Sarah, is anything the matter?" Victoria questioned.

Sarah replied with a wary glance toward Victoria's steed.

"Ah, yes. That is very inconvenient."

Loki was rather busy pondering the fate of Boromir, thus he didn't notice the girl's cryptic chatter.

"Perhaps later?" Victoria smiled.

"Sounds peachy."

Sarah listened as Victoria picked up her place in the story after some equine insistence. She too, was lost in the tale when all three suddenly found themselves standing amidst an ancient grove of trees. The wafting grasses of the fake plain had given way to soft forest floor and the fading sun was obscured by evergreen branches.

Jareth had already unsaddled his horse and set it free to roam about the woods by the time they reached him. Sarah did her best to see through the mirage, but this time she was certain that the forest was real and not a trick of the eye. It felt alive and feral, eerie even, not unlike the Goblin King himself.

"You can let the horse…"

"Susan," she interrupted.

"Yes, well. You can let it go. We are on foot from here on out."

"Oh, thank Valhalla." Loki stretched back into himself with a yawn once Victoria had dismounted. A quick grin seized his lips as he turned to her, "I hope you found me a pleasurable mount."

Sarah watched Victoria's face redden as the woman tried to come up with a clever retort.

"That will do, pig." Victoria strode past him.

Loki chuckled and followed after her. "You have to finish the story you know? You can't leave off just like that…" He harassed.

"It's like he's a child. A large, dangerous, indolent child." Sarah shook her head. "You know, I snogged him once, in the back of an empty movie theater...he's very handsy...what on earth was I thinking?"

A sound of faint disgust mocked her from the a now roaring fireside. Jareth methodologically set about preparing dinner. But, of course nothing was done in normal fashion by the monarch. Sarah came in close beside him and watched as their meal was conjured out of thin air. Tiny glass orbs were dropped into a spontaneously bubbling pot one by one. The smell was heavenly.

"Are those ingredients?"

"What do you think?"

"What are they? It doesn't look like food."

"I feel like I am trapped within a game of questions." He growled.

"I'm just curious."

"There is a story about a cat."

"Ha ha, tell me what you are putting in there? I don't really trust you where provisions are concerned. I'd rather eat Loki's raw cow. What's a case of e. coli compared to the nefariously trippy dreams you are so skilled at dishing up?"

"Your ability to hold a grudge is truly astounding."

"That's rich coming from you!" She rallied for a verbal assault but he stopped her with his answer.

"This is a pinch of alertness, a drop of perseverance, and a bit of luck. That is what you'll be eating for dinner. Though I may add a touch of silence to the brew. You three are worse than a horde of goblins."

"How can we eat that for dinner?"

"Just trust me." He grinned in feline fashion.

She aimed a sarcastic remark at him but dropped it as the others drew near to them.

"I don't have to tell you the rest of anything. We didn't make any deals involving me becoming your personal Scheherazade." Victoria harrumphed as she sat down heavily beside Sarah.

"My what?" Loki frowned.

"Jareth has brewed us dinner." Sarah eyed the pot skeptically.

"It smells delicious." Victoria shrugged. "It isn't fruit." She whispered in Sarah's ear.

With a reluctant sigh Sarah accepted the bowl of shimmering liquid. It did smell fantastic though it only looked like broth.

Loki swallowed his dinner in several gulps looking every bit the picture of a Viking god. "Not bad."

Jareth sneered disdainfully from the spot he had claimed beside a tall elm tree.

"So, what lies before us?" Loki questioned the king.

"Probably nothing but trouble."

"I am good with trouble." Loki smiled. The manic gleam that sometimes shone from behind the pure green of his eyes sparked momentarily.

"I'm sure."

"I wouldn't mind a more elaborate answer." Victoria volunteered.

"Right. We've managed to clear the first step of our journey and in good time. This forest is a safe enough resting place, but I'll keep watch tonight. Tomorrow we have a mountain pass to venture through, one filled with…"

"Dangers untold and hardships unnumbered?" Sarah nearly giggled at the Goblin King's frown.

"Exactly. Should we manage to survive, we could arrive within the realm of the dwarves in just a few days. Now, if you don't mind..." In a blink, before further questions could arise, Jareth was gone. A white owl perched among the branches of the elm tree momentarily and then flew away into the night.

"I hate birds." Loki said.

"He's so mysterious." Victoria blinked.

Loki eyed her flatly. "Not really."

The girls turned their attention to him.

"I think he's rather dull. I'd hoped he would be more fun."

"Oh believe me, in the right circumstances, he's a riot." Sarah bunched up her cloak and curled into a ball by the fire.

"I've heard tales that he was once a great maker of mischief. A lord of misrule. You see, he's not originally from the Svartalfheim, but Álfheim. Which, I can tell you, is a dreadfully boring place. Oh, it's lovely. " He deflected Victoria's oncoming interruption. "But boring."

"The light-elves are beautiful...perfect...repulsive in their quaintness. They dance, sing, and laugh in blissful harmony while they tend to birds and butterflies. It is sickening."

"Jareth likes to sing." Sarah grinned.

"Yes, but he didn't always fit in with the choir. Or at least, that is what I've heard."

"I can't imagine him tending to butterflies or birds." Sarah grimaced.

"Can you not?" Loki tilted his head.

"Owls!" Victoria exclaimed.

"Yes, and he somehow managed to run afoul," he stopped to laugh at his own pun, "of the owl goddess Arianrhod during his guardianship. For that the light-elves banished him. Unfortunately, he couldn't seek refuge in Midgard, as the rest of us do, because of the goddess. We've all quite forgotten what he did...Anyway he settled here in Svartalfheim. See, he's not that mysterious."

"Was the Labyrinth already here?" Sarah asked.

"I don't think so." Loki shrugged.

"We know there are dwarves. But, where are the dark elves? How did Jareth come to rule?" Victoria questioned. "Where do goblins come from?"

"I don't know." Loki glared.

"Then, he is still kind of mysterious." Victoria smirked.

Sarah didn't want to hear about the Goblin King anymore. It was too odd to think of him as anything other than a villain. She didn't need a back story. Shutting her eyes, she attempted to tune out their bickering. Eventually, Victoria's voice began once more to weave her tale which signified Loki's success at wearing her down, but Sarah slipped into sleep without hearing much of it.

Quiet settled on the small camp, the fire died, and Sarah woke very suddenly in the near darkness. Squinting, she searched for her companions. Loki was slumped against a tree and Victoria was nothing more than a small mass beneath a cloak beside the ashes of the fire. There was still no sign of Jareth.

Stealthily, Sarah arose from her cramped position and stretched. She could tell by the shear weight of the darkness that dawn was not far off. Tiptoeing around the sleeping duo, she headed into the trees. Her eyes adjusted to the dark enough for her to search the shadows for their guide.

She hadn't gone very far when the flesh along her arms broke out in goosebumps and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Someone or something was watching her, she knew it. Her breathing became shallow and she was certain that the sound of her beating heart could be heard throughout the trees.

_Snap._

Sarah's head swung around to face the darkness...looking for the source of the noise in vain. Crouching down, her hands felt the bare earth, seeking anything that could be used as a weapon, her eyes were always scanning the shadows.

_Snap._

Gasping she spun around, losing her footing. The moment her feet fell out from beneath her, something in the darkness grasped her ankle.

Her own blood-curdling screech rang in her ears as she flipped onto her stomach, she dug her nails into the forest floor as she was pulled into the shadows.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry this took so long to post. This chapter was a bit slow paced, and not as humorous as I would have liked, but I have good ideas for the following ones ;) A shout out to **Amaya Shinkuyoake **who gave me the idea to do a little back story on Jareth. So, he is a dark elf by choice rather than origin. And, **thebabewiththepower **I hope Sarah's comment gave you some insight into the depth of her relationship with Loki. She really doesn't remember much about it, things with Loki tend to get blurred around the edges. It was kind of a fast and light type of pairing. He only wanted her for her connections. ;) And, he gave her the creeps.

In case anyone is wondering...there's about to be so much Jaroki banter/bickering...it will be glizty...it with be snarky...it should not be missed!

Finally, as always, **thank you** so much for reading and reviewing. I truly love to read your comments-not because I am an egomaniac-but because I like to know that we find the same things funny or interesting...or whatever. I also like to hear your ideas.

Tata for now.


	8. Know Me Well

_Shhhh_, Jareth hissed.

Sarah twisted over onto her back and glared into the Goblin King's face. Anger tied her tongue, restricting the hot words that filled her mouth as the last of her nerves shattered. She wanted to cry she was so relieved.

Jareth tried to remain stoic, but the corners of his lips twitched upward, and there was no way to control the obvious laughter filling his eyes as he leaned over her leaf strewn form. Sarah imagined that the Big Bad Wolf probably had a similar expression when he caught little Red Ridinghood.

Accusation flavored Sarah's words. "You _snapped_ on purpose. You could creep up on a nun under a vow of silence. You frightened me...on purpose!" One dainty fist slammed into the solid plain of his chest.

"Yes, I heard you coming. I hid under this bush, snapped a couple twigs, and then pulled you under it by your ankle. Mischief got the better of me." He flashed her a coy grin. "Your face, your scream, it was absolutely priceless. It made this whole adventure worthwhile, my dear."

Sarah wanted to remain angry, but his sudden shift of mood unbalanced her. In the few days they'd spent together he was mocking, condescending, and scary...and now he was suddenly...playful.

_Playful_. She thought.

He had pranked her. Sarah shut her mouth and stared, only her eyes moved to watch him pick foliage out of her hair. As he struggled with a particularly attached twig, she felt a strange urge, before it flew away, she raised up onto her elbows and brought her lips against his.

If the Goblin King was surprised, he hid it better than he'd hid his mirth.

"To what do I owe that small token of affection?" His eyes challenged her, guarded once more.

Sarah didn't allow his tone to hurt her feelings. Jareth was not a mortal man, he didn't play by the same rules, but she knew that he didn't mind being kissed. "Maybe a bit of luck."

"Mine or yours?"

She didn't get a chance to answer. The sound of bodies crashing through the shrubbery drew away Jareth's attention. Placing a finger on her lips, he motioned for her to watch. They both stayed low to the ground, intent upon the erstwhile scene of his crime.

"Sarah!" Victoria shouted into the morning. The blond burst into their line of vision, worry straining her normally soft features.

"I don't know why you are so vexed. She probably just got herself eaten or lost." Loki trailed lazily behind her.

"That's not funny!" Victoria rounded on him.

Sarah would've put her friend out of her misery if Jareth hadn't stayed her, that amused light bouncing around his eyes once more.

"I didn't say that it was funny. I said you shouldn't be worried." Loki smiled good-naturedly.

"You're impossible!"

"No, I'm improbable." He corrected.

"You're...you're...you're a fathead!" Victoria shouted, reaching her wit's end. "This is all your fault!"

"Madame! You do not refer to the god of mischief as a _fathead_." Loki looked utterly insulted. But, his crazy eyes had returned.

_Ewww_, Victoria growled, and then suddenly, she threw herself at his chest, pounding him viciously. When he chuckled, she renewed her attack with greater fervor.

Sarah, at that point, was very distressed, but Jareth kept his arm in front of her.

Loki, having witnessed enough of Victoria's tantrum, deftly grabbed the woman's wrists and thrust them behind her back.

"Very few creatures have struck me and lived to tell about it." Loki's manic gaze stilled her at last.

Apprehension dawned on Victoria's flushed face, but she didn't apologize. She wouldn't beg his forgiveness, even if he killed her on the spot. Her face said as much as it glared into his.

"Children." Jareth revealed himself at last, pulling Sarah into the ring alongside him. "This is clearly no way to behave."

Loki and Victoria comically snapped their heads in his direction at the same time.

"I've located our lost Dwarf hero, all is well. She just got a little disoriented in the shrubbery, didn't you Sarah?" Jareth's feral grin dared her to say otherwise.

She ignored him. "I'm sorry Victoria, I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's alright," the blond smiled.

Loki wasn't smiling. His cunning eyes drifted from Jareth's amused visage to Sarah's confused one. Although the little chit in his arms had quite forgotten her outrageous behavior, he had not.

Jareth recognized the predatory glint in the other man's stance. "Come." He brushed past Loki with a look of warning. The god could play games on his own time.

Sarah awkwardly followed after him, casting a last glance over her shoulder at the others.

When Jareth and Sarah were just out of hearing distance, Loki lowered his lips to Victoria's ear. "Don't forget yourself, little mouse." He whispered.

"You don't scare me. However, I probably shouldn't have hit you. There is never a good excuse for violence. I was upset, and you were unhelpful, but Sarah being lost wasn't exactly your fault." She thought about all the stories she had read. He was so often blamed by the Aesir, usually he seemed to deserve it, but she wouldn't be like them.

He tilted his head in his vulpine way and let her go.

"We don't have forever...at least some of us don't." Sarah called from the campsite.

"Coming!" Victoria sidestepped Loki and rejoined the others.

**oo0oOo0oo**

"You're an idiot." Jareth remarked casually as he and Loki stalked ahead of the women on their track through the rugged mountain pass.

The god wrinkled his brow, but said nothing for a moment. "With conversational skills like that it's no wonder you can't seal the deal with Ms. Champion back there."

"Oh. Is that the best you can come up with?" Jareth sneered.

"I don't understand. You could have your pick of immortal women, why her?" Loki's look wasn't necessarily one of disgust, just wonder.

"I don't owe you any explanation."

"You don't, but I would like to understand."

Jareth grinned ruefully. "My friend, I do believe you are well on your way to understanding without any help from me."

"Are you implying that my little mouse is an enchantress? That my frozen heart could be reached by her small paws?" Bitterness mangled his voice.

"Frost Giant or not, we all have our melting points." Jareth was all mischief. He had scored a victory earlier that day after all, small though it may've been.

"Would you like to play a little game? To make a small wager?" The monarch's sharp-toothed grin reemerged as the manic gleam sparked in his companion's eyes.

"Always."

**oo0oOo0oo**

In the throne room of a castle beyond a Goblin City, the clatter of maniacal goblin laughter rang out into the clear afternoon. They rejoiced in their master's abject trickiness for the remainder of the day and well into the night.

* * *

><p>A little fanservice for your Friday. I do believe that Jareth and Loki are warming up to each other as well, for better or for worse.<p>

Beyond on this point there be monsters.

Have a wonderful weekend, lovelies.


	9. Warning Signs

"Dragons! Dragons, Jareth!" Sarah was clasping her sides as rough breaths ripped through her sore body. Dirt clung to the planes of her face as her eyes drilled into the pristine Goblin King.

"I told you the pass was dangerous." He wasn't the least bit affected by their mad dash from danger.

Sarah slumped to the ground and continued to suck air into her stubborn lungs. There was no sign of Loki or Victoria. The fellowship had been broken, their quartet ripped apart.

"Poor Victoria," Sarah lamented. _Poor me_. "Can you find them?"

"I'm afraid not. It's easy enough to locate a human, but a god has ways of hiding himself and his companions."

"Why would Loki hide from you?"

"Well, he wouldn't be hiding from me, personally, but he'd cloak himself and Victoria generally, for safety." Jareth stated matter-of-factly. "Just as I intend to do with us. But, never fear, Loki knows the way. We will find them again."

Sarah tried to keep the newly blooming panic buried in her chest. She didn't want him to hear it in her voice, or see it in her face. The presence of Loki and Victoria had provided a very convenient buffer between them. She wasn't prepared to be alone with him.

"How far are we from the Dwarves?" She asked.

"Oh, only a few days." .

"Shouldn't we at least try to look for them?"

"Do you really think that Loki will waste his time searching for us? They are likely on the other side of the pass."

Sarah bit her lip.

"Are you afraid to be alone with me, Sarah?" The Goblin King sneered. "Is my brave little champion quelled by the idea of spending a few days in my company all on her own? No friends, no gods, just you and me?"

Sarah stood and brushed the dirt from her face, "I am not afraid of you." She meant it.

"I didn't ask if you were afraid _of_ me." His assessing eyes made her self-conscious.

He turned from her and made his way down into the valley. The Dragon nest they had _stumbled_ on caused quite the landslide when the great beasts surged from their rock covered sleep. Loki and Victoria and scattered down one side of the cliff and Jareth and Sarah down the other. Getting down was easy, climbing back up was another matter entirely.

"Are you coming?" Jareth called.

With a heavy sigh, Sarah followed the path he had taken, and met him at the bottom of the rocky cliff.

The majority of their journey was undertaken in silence. Jareth stalked ahead of Sarah while she glared at the back of his head. This all just seemed a little too convenient for her liking. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd ended up with Jareth when she'd been walking with Victoria. Why hadn't they stuck together? It just didn't make sense. But, she knew better than to bring it up. She wouldn't get anywhere by inciting the monarch. Her plan was to say as little as possible to him and maintain a good six feet of distance between them at all times.

As evening approached, Sarah began to feel uneasy once more. Staying quiet was only making things more tense, her tactics were in need of serious revision. They'd reached a gloomy forest, and the bulk of a black mountain beckoned in the distance over the tree tops.

"Is that it?" She pointed, breaking the long silence.

"Yes."

"Does it have a name?" She was strongly reminded of the Lonely Mountain.

"It does, but it's ugly. A guttural moniker fit only for cavern dwellers." He smirked. "You've such skill with titles, what would you like to call it?"

"A mountain full of dwarves? It could only be _Erebor." _The homage to the Lord of the Rings made Sarah miss their companions...or at least Victoria.

"Erebor," Jareth repeated the word. "I like it. Of course, you and I are probably the only creatures that will ever think of it that way, but I don't mind if you don't."

"Jareth?" He'd begun to make camp just as he had the night before.

"Yes?"

She fished around in her head for words. Questions were there, but it was hard to form them properly. One thing was certain, she wouldn't last another two days of awkward, strained, silences. "What are you cooking tonight?"

Jareth paused before tossing his odd ingredients into the re-materialized boiling pot. "What would you like?" He handed the small orbs to Sarah.

Slowly, she paced around the cauldron, biting a lip and thinking, _What would Hermione do?_

"Well, perseverance and luck seem like keepers, all things considered...maybe we can put in a little goodwill?" She risked a glance in his direction, but he'd moved.

A single hand found its way to her waist as she felt him close behind her. Jareth's free hand guided hers over the boiling water, and turned it over, relinquishing Sarah's ingredients to their watery fate.

"I've nothing against a little goodwill." He breathed into her ear.

**oo0oOo0oo**

Victoria's eyes blinked open. She tried to sit up, but found that her wrist hurt like the dickens.

"You should be still." Loki cautioned.

"My wrist hurts." She brought the offending appendage up to eye-level.

"Umm, yes. I do believe you've sprained it."

"I see, did we get past the dragons? I can't believe there were dragons." She stared dreamily into the darkened sky.

"Well, I got us past them. You tripped, knocked yourself out, and I've been dragging your limp form about all afternoon. It was terribly exhausting." He sighed dramatically.

Rolling over onto her side, Victoria nursed her wounded wrist as she stumbled to her feet.

Gazing about their camp, she noticed the absence of their fellows immediately. "Where are the others?"

"Separated. They slunk down the other side of the mountain. It was very chaotic. Hopefully, they survived. It won't be easy to convince the dwarves that you are their hero…" He smiled guilelessly.

"So we will find them?"

"We'll run into them again. The plan was to meet up near the entrance of the mountain, if we were to get separated." Loki was finished with the conversation, he stood up and walked into the woods.

"Where are you going?" Victoria followed after him.

"We need to eat, or at least I do. A god can't live on magic goblin broth for long you know?"

"Um…" Victoria ran to catch up with him. "I hope you aren't planning on...catching any cattle." Her sea-green eyes shined with poorly concealed humor

"I don't think they're in abundant supply…Are you mocking me?"

"Nope." She schooled her features to look deadly serious.

"Just keep in mind that once I have Sif's wig, you are no longer of use to me." The customary smile settled on his face.

"Will I be dispensable? Open to unspeakable and heinous acts on your part?"

Loki stopped short and angled his head as if to get a better view of her bruised face. "Are you and your friend stupid? Or simply unconcerned with your own well-being? Do you have any instincts of self-preservation?"

"Do you?"

"When it suits me."

"Ditto."

They walked on in silence until a stream came into view. It was wide and not too deep.

"There may be fish in there." Loki crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"Fish seems safe enough."

Victoria watched as the god shifted back into a cunning little fox. With a canine grin he stalked around the stream, she sat back on her heels to watch him, immediately feeling sorry for the poor fish.

Dodging skillfully, he seized one fish in his jaws delicately and tossed it on shore. He repeated the maneuver several times until there was a modest pile behind him. His laughing eyes glanced up from his work, to see if the girl was watching. He was very impressive, and deserved a grateful audience.

However, Victoria's appreciation of him ended shortly after his storytelling during their first meeting. She'd slipped off while he worked, finding a hidden bend in the little stream, a considerable distance away from her foxy comrade.

Hoping that he'd be busy with his catch for awhile, she hasty stripped down to her undergarments, one-handedly, still being careful with her bad wrist, and hopped into the cold water. Grabbing a handful of spearmint scented moss, she scrubbed her hair and body. The waist deep water soothed her aching limbs. Feeling less nervous by the minute, she sank down into the stream, and then she sang to herself while she floated in the shallow water.

As she was singing, a fox crept up on her sanctuary. Victoria had made an error in judgement when she assumed he would be more concerned with filling his stomach than keeping track of her. Loki's fox eyes laughed as his crept into the water, swimming quietly toward the girl. He shifted silently in the water beside her.

_ O, train me not, sweet mermaid, with thy note,_

_To drown me in thy sister's flood of tears._  
><em>Sing, siren, for thyself, and I will dote;<em>  
><em>Spread o'er the silver waves thy golden hairs,<em>  
><em>And as a bed I'll take them and there lie,<em>  
><em>And in that glorious supposition think<em>  
><em>He gains by death that hath such means to die; <em>  
><em>Let Love, being light, be drowned if she sink!<em>

Loki was disappointed when Victoria hardly reacted to his trick. The girl moved away from him in the water, but did not gasp, did not squawk, as he'd hoped.

"A Comedy of Errors was always one of my favorites." She pulled her hair to one side and sank deeper into the water, hiding herself from him.

"You're no fun," he pouted.

"And, you sir, are no gentleman."

"Of course, not." He grinned.

"I like you better as an animal."

A smile spread across his face and her eyes widened. "I can be an animal." He could win a bet and still have a little fun, he reasoned.

* * *

><p>The Poem is from Shakespeare. I do remember that I have a plot, but I wanted to have little fun in this chapter &amp; there may be smut ahead...but whose smut? That is the question.<p>

Thanks once more for the reviews and reads!

As always, I miss things. If you see a typo, let me know and I'll try to fix it.


	10. Angels, Madwomen, & Whores

I've determined that my idea of smut is probably very tame.

* * *

><p>Loki moved swiftly, herding Victoria up against the steep bank of the stream, into the old gnarled roots of a willow, the wet bark was rough against her skin. The drop off in the streambed caught her by surprise—she had to stand on the tips of her toes to keep her head and neck above the water.<p>

The god had no problem maintaining his footing, being significantly taller than his captive. Loki smirked like a great cat at the woman caged between his arms, waiting to see fear, shock, possibly even a little indignation. But, the impulses of fight or flight were not at work in Victoria's mind. There may have been a few moments early on in their relationship when she'd feared him, but that sensation had passed quickly into something altogether different. She loved his wicked sense of humor, although she pretended otherwise. He was irresistible in his wild, manic way.

His physical attractiveness had never been in question; she'd freely acknowledge that he was beautiful. But, he was deviously mouthwatering when shirtless. Dark spiral patterns were surprisingly woven over the wiry muscles of his arms, from the leather bands at his wrists to his well-sculpted shoulders. His chest was solid, and she was certain that if she reached out her hands, his abs would be too. He was the perfect example of a Viking warrior. When her sea-foam eyes locked onto his, he saw nothing but hunger.

That was confusing.

Loki's self-assured grin slipped, and fell away altogether when her slender leg hooked itself about his waist drawing him into her. His cold heart may have fluttered a bit, he was used to the art of seduction, but the lack of artifice in her face, in her movements, was something new, something exciting.

Her small hands splayed across his stomach beneath the water, and moved up his chest, and down his arms. He watched in pure fascination as the fingers of her uninjured hand wove themselves between his. Victoria brought the knuckles of his hand to her lips, her gaze never leaving his, and his befuddlement descended into something entirely more dangerous.

His arms twisted around her, bringing her barely clothed curves flush up against him. Victoria coiled her arms around his neck, keeping her lips out of reach of his while she whispered teasingly into his ear, "Are you thinking about committing one of those unspeakable and heinous acts that I've been threatened with? I should warn you that I intend to repay you in kind for your transgressions."

He didn't answer, and she couldn't see his face, but he swallowed hard. She brought her lips to his shoulder, her tongue traced the spirals of his tattoo, and his grip on her increased. Winding her fingers into his hair, she stayed out of reach of his lips, not allowing him to kiss her. She rather liked being in control for once.

Although, Loki couldn't reach her mouth, which was doing unsettling things to his neck, he did find his way to her collarbone, repaying her for some of her wickedness. One fearless hand slide up the thigh that was wrapped around him. He skimmed over her soft belly and up the sides of her ribs, fingering the hem of her bra.

While his vice-like grip was loosened, Victoria took her chance and pushed away from him in the water, heading for the bank that she could scale. She pulled herself out, wincing slightly, having forgotten her wrist in all the excitement, and hurried over to her things.

Loki, didn't stir, but his eyes devoured her every move. He was pleased to see that she didn't try to hide from him once she was free of the water's cover. Very few things were left to his imagination. She threw a smirk over her shoulder as she sauntered back toward camp. She hoped that he'd learned not to interrupt her baths.

oo0oOo0oo

The god wondered as he collected the fish from the bank how Jareth had known that his little mouse was in fact an enchantress. He couldn't get the image of her wet figure, bathed in starlight, out of his mind. He would have to be more careful...but careful really wasn't his style. A wicked grin curled his lips. He should have known that no reasonable woman would've made a deal with him, even for the sake of a friend. She was a mystery.

A much more sedate god of mischief approached the campsite. Victoria set by the fire, untangling her hair nonchalantly, fully returned to former quiet ways. She had set her wet things out to dry and wrapped her cloak about her like a towel.

"It'd be very convenient if you had Jareth's ability to pull things out of thin air." She remarked casually.

"Yes, well I manipulate myself rather than my environment. I don't' feel that I've suffered too much for that."

"I suppose it would be others who suffered were you to have such skills." Victoria found it deeply comforting to carry on their conversations in Icelandic, she was quite skilled in English, but only used it for Sarah's benefit. She occasionally tried to slip into Old Norse, but the god's smirks when she made a mistake were irritating.

"Perhaps," he gave her a wolfish grin.

They ate in silence. Victoria gathered together her mostly dried clothes and slipped off into the trees as Loki refueled the fire. She noticed that he was watching her cautiously. She was inordinately pleased to see that he was no longer taking her for granted.

"This really isn't going to be comfortable," he concluded as she rejoined him. "No blankets. You will freeze to death."

"I hardly think that I'm that fragile. This is balmy compared to home. It is nearly tropical." She shook her head.

"Will you continue your story?" He asked after a few minutes.

"If it pleases you, great one." She grinned.

"You're mocking me again."

"Never."

Victoria wrapped her cloak about her and curled up by the fire trying to remember where exactly she had left off in her narrative.

"You once napped on my stomach." Loki mentioned lying down much closer to her than before. He felt unsettled, the very foundation of their prior relations had shifted in just a few moments.

"That was when you were round and fuzzy and I was a mouse."

Loki's arm snaked out, pulling her into him. She didn't resist. "You've proven quite sufficiently that you are no mouse."

"Eowyn and Merry had just slain the witch-king Angmar..."

oo0oOo0oo

Sarah sidestepped away from Jareth. "Yes, goodwill is great." His knowing smirk was almost infuriating. She sat on the ground and played with a piece of grass while they waited. A bowl was shortly placed into her hands.

"You know, this is quite hilarious." She said.

"How so?"

"Well, I was completely minding my own business...going on with my life and then I made one silly miscalculation and here I am in the Underground with my archenemy on a quest to help the god of mischief procure a golden wig." She giggled.

Her recap was rewarded with a low chuckle. "I suppose that is rather funny. You have horrible taste in men."

"My problem is that my tastes tend toward creatures who actually aren't men..." She blushed slightly.

"Oh, have you been courting werewolves and swampthings as well as gods?"

She didn't bother to answer him.

"You do have a history of reckless behavior. Wishing away siblings, throwing away dreams, defying kings as well as kissing them under shrubbery..."

"Reckless is maybe a fair characterization."

"I have a few others, impulsive, stubborn, irritating..." He tilted his head coyly.

Sarah sighed loudly. "I really dislike you."

"I know. Being archenemies tends to lead to such feelings. However, you're playing your part quite well. You've been brave and longsuffering, the perfect heroine. I, on the other hand, haven't done anything more dastardly than a small prank. I must be slipping. How do you suppose I should go about rectifying this? I'd hate to disappoint you."

Sarah eyed him warily. She didn't appreciate the predatory flash in his eyes. No man wearing such form-fitting trousers should look that dangerous. Or maybe his attire heightened the sense of moral ambiguity that made him so intriguing. Was he a knave or a king? A pirate or a prince?

"Perhaps, I should foil our quest and leave your friend to the mercy of our charming psychopath?"

"Then our deal would be broken and you wouldn't get what you want from me." Sarah wished she'd had the sense to try and negotiate that one. The need to protect her friend had overwhelmed her thoughts of self-preservation. Jareth probably wouldn't have budged anyway.

"Very true. My amusement at seeing you fulfil the terms of our agreement would greatly outweigh any pleasure I could derive from observing your guilt at having failed your friend." He donned a thoughtful expression. "I could always try to seduce you. Although I dare say that you're far too virtuous to fall for such tactics. Failure would be my only bedfellow."

Sarah's large eyes were trained on him, warily. But, he could tell that she was rallying, and soon her deadly tongue would be unleashed upon him, and not in a pleasing manner.

Standing suddenly he extended his hand to her. "Come, I want to show you something."

"In goodwill?" She questioned. "No foiling or seduction involved?"

His smirk was her only answer.

With a weary sigh, she took his hand and followed him into the trees against her better judgment. Jareth led them up an unknown path that ended at the top of a hill, cleared of trees. Sarah's eyes adjusted slowly to the dim twilight that danced about the hilltop.

"Is that a well?" She studied the cobbled construction. It looked like something out of a fairytale.

"It is a wishing well." Jareth leaned against the structure in his irreverent way.

"Oh."

"Would you like to make a wish?" He grinned.

"I'll pass." She circled around Jareth and the well.

"It's very old. It has been here much longer than I." He stated as she continued to examine the scene.

"Why?"

"Innumerable reasons, none of which are likely to satisfy."

"Did it belong to the dark elves?" She questioned.

"Who said anything about dark elves?" He crossed his arms, enjoying the expressiveness of her face while she was thinking. Her thoughts fluttered across her features in such an easy and open way.

A few elements of their earlier conversations slide into place in Sarah's head.

"_In a great hall with pillars hewn out of the living stone sat the Elvenking on a chair of carven wood. On his head was a crown of berries and red leaves, for the autumn was come again. In the spring he wore a crown of woodland flowers. In his hand he held a carven staff of oak_." Sarah quoted quietly.

"Are you waxing poetic on me Sarah?"

"No, you just remind me of someone else." She approached the well standing opposite of him.

"You are guarding the dark elves, aren't you Elvenking? You're a guardian. Of owls, of unwanted children, of creatures weaker than yourself."

"We are all something. Usually many somethings." He was staring at the stars...which were beginning to fall.

Sarah moved to stand beside him in order to better see the shower.

He was always so cryptic and she hated the idea of possibly having misjudged him, although he'd never given her any reason to doubt his villainy. He was a riddle, and she intended to figure him out, even if that meant setting aside certain preconceived notions and prior experiences. Of course, those feelings could be the simply workings of her dose of goodwill. Maybe they would fade away in the morning.

"I thought you moved the stars for no one?"

"You should know that comet's aren't really stars." His eyes were feral in the growing darkness, and a shiver ran up her spine. Guardian, villain, knave, or king he was still dangerous. No amount of goodwill could change that.

* * *

><p>AN: The title of this chapter comes from a Victorian lit class I took once. The idea is that women in Victorian literature can be classified in three ways: as Madwomen (Bertha in Rochchester's attic), Angels (any good Dicken's woman), and Whores (Tess D' Uberville). That kind of thing.

So **babewiththepower** I snuck in a slight mention of the tight pants (I don't like to use the word 'pants' I lived in the UK for a while and it makes me think of unmentionables tehehe).

And, for all of you not hating on Victoria and Loki, much thanks! Although, I should mention that Victoria is not exactly an OC...she has a precedent that **tmwilson3 **caught very early on. I am having fun with those two, they don't have certain prickly histories to work through like our Sareth does...forgive me for taking my time with the dynamic duo. Does anyone else feel like Victoria and Jareth are similarly calculating? I didn't intend them to be that way, but she is surprisingly devious. Blondes must truly have more fun...

OH! And someone mentioned something about the Celtic Owl Goddess being Bloudeuwedd, and that is perfectly correct as far as I know (I'm not an expert on celtic mythology). I was, however, under the impression that Bloudeuwedd was part of the Triple Goddess where Blodeuwedd is the maiden, Arianrhod represents the mother, and The Morrigu, the crone. I just went with the name Arianrhod, maybe I should have just said the White Goddess...I don't know. What's said is said. I got my info from the White Goddess website. :)


	11. Flight

Sarah waited in the quiet of the night, she wasn't sleepy, and she wasn't in a hurry to leave the hilltop, or even Jareth's company.

"You're a wild thing." Her eyes perused his face. He was all leather, danger, and midnight beside her. She found it a bit intoxicating, like being far too close to a wolf in the woods. She was uncertain of whether she wanted to run with him or away from him.

"Is that a compliment?" He asked.

"It is simply the truth." Sarah pushed herself away from the well.

"What makes me wild?" He tilted his head.

"That." Sarah laughed at his uncanny mannerism. "And, your eyes. They are always so inhuman. Your every move is intentioned and strategic, like a tiger or something. Even the way you smell is wild, like a mountain side." She should've been more reserved with her observations, but they poured out of her.

"Should I assume that you've been making a study of me?"

"I have eyes and senses. They seem to be trained on you, waiting...watching for an attack." She crossed her arms defensively and looked away.

"If I am a tiger, are you a deer? Waiting for me to rip you apart? I would hardly consider you an object of prey." His eyes were gleaming.

"Don't you?" She questioned.

"Maybe just a little." His sharp-toothed grin wasn't comforting.

"Sarah." He moved quickly, his hand seizing her chin. "I could show you amazing things. You too could be wild."

She looked into his eyes, all starlight and magic. "Am I a wild thing?"

"Of course you are you reckless creature." He released her and prowled to the edge of the trees. "Do you trust me?"

"No, not even a little." But she was already moving toward him.

Jareth removed his gloves and flexed his slender fingers. Sarah drew near to him, watching. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Being generous, though you hardly deserve it." He smirked.

Sarah would've delivered a smart reply if he hadn't reached for her hand. Twining his fingers between hers, she immediately felt a tingling warmth climb up her arm, and then quite suddenly, she no longer had an arm, she felt as though she was made of nothing, until the cool night air pushed her up into the sky.

Sarah burst from the treetops, and found that she was carried by great dark wings. She knew that she was Sarah, but she was something else as well. Her mind was not thinking in terms of words or ideas, but pictures and instincts.

When a ghostly shadow darted toward her she flew from it into the night. The white owl was the same as she, she knew it, but it was fun to fly away from him. Beating her wings, she wove down into the trees, drawing him into tangles of branches, she had difficulty navigating, but he was very skilled and caught up with her quickly.

The black barn owl was glad that he didn't hinder her fun. Instead, her ghostly companion guided her through tricky turns and small places. He glided into the open sky and sped away from her. She beat her wings, trying to keep up.

He slowed down, allowing her to coast beside him. Eventually her body grew weary from the unaccustomed exercise and she spiraled downward, he followed.

She sought a sheltered branch and grabbed at it with her talons, steadying herself on the limb. The great white owl landed skillfully beside her, hooting quietly. She ignored him, pulling her head down into her feathers, seeking sleep, but he continued to make his infernal little noises.

Swiveling her head, she aimed an irritated glare in his direction and clicked her beak to emphasize her point. If it were possible for an owl to laugh, he did. Her avian eyes followed him as he hopped from the branch and turned into something that wasn't himself. Her heart dropped, she scuttled down the limb and peered into the night with perfect vision, seeing a tall feather-haired man-creature in HIS place.

Growing alarmed, she made noises of her own. _What had happened to him? What had this man-creature done?_ Her movements become more frustrated as the man smiled up at her. Then he extended his forearm to her and she glared in wrathful spite. Enraged that the man-creature had done something with HIM she dove from the branch and struck at it with her claws.

The man-creature shielded himself with an arm which she latched onto, shooting daggers at his feathery head with her eyes, and shrieking like a banshee.

"Shhh," he spat at her as a claw-like hand descended upon her, then darkness clouded her vision and she felt heavy, falling back into a shape that was not meant to soar across night skies.

Gasping Sarah clung to the Goblin King beneath the branches of the great oak tree that she had tried to nest in. She was devastated, where did HE go, she felt so lost, until she began to think in words. HE was him. HE and the man-creature...Jareth...were the same.

Taking a deep breathe Sarah pushed herself away from the leather clad chest of her captor. He was smiling in a most annoying fashion.

"I thought you'd claw out my eyes." His chuckled lowly.

"I believe that was my intention..." She looked about her, still disoriented. "I was flying...I was an owl."

"You were a wild thing." He leaned into the tree, observing her.

"I was." She smiled, letting her guard down. "I was so afraid that you'd done something to my..." Her brow crinkled.

"To your what?" He cocked his head.

"I believe that I thought you were my father or something." His noise of disgust made the lie worthwhile. "My own personal Daddy Long-Feathers."

She realized that she was still desperately tired. As though sensing her thoughts, Jareth waved a hand, and their campsite reappeared before her.

Sarah moved toward her blankets and curled up by the fire, she was exhausted.

"Do you sleep?" She yawned in his direction.

"Not often."

"Alright then, goodnight." She was already drifting off, falling into dreams of midnight skies and darkened treetops. "Thank you, Jareth." She murmured.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the short...odd chapter friends. I've had a rough week, and this is what came of it.


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